This week I attended the Esprit de Corps Top Women in Defence Award reception 2022. As a past recipient, it was even more meaningful to meet and congratulate this year’s nominees and recipients and to reconnect with good friends like Karen McCrimmon, Karen Breeck, Christine Vincent and so many of the strong Canadian Armed Forces members I got to know while I was Parliamentary Secretary for National Defence.

It was wonderful that Anita Anand was able to attend, considering what a busy day it was with the release of the Arbour Report. These are the women who have blazed the trails and fought for decades to make room for women to serve their country with the same respect as men.

To be amongst them, celebrating each other, looking with cautious optimism toward the future is both humbling and exhilarating. These are the women whose voices we need to amplify and to whom our country owes a deep debt of gratitude! BZ!